Fulling mill



June 1, 1948. MORRlLL I 2,442,742

FULLING MILL Filed April 11, 1946 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 Air Supply I fieivar. FRANK B. MORE/Ll.

F. B.. MORRILL June 1, 1948.

FULLING MILL 9 Sheets-S hef, 2

Filed April 11, 1946 In Eve%z&9- FRANK a. MORR/LL F. B. MORRILL FULLINGMILL June 1, 1948.

Filed April 11, 1946 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 F RANK 8. MORE/LL June 1, 1948. F.B. MORRlLL 2,442,742

FULLING MILL- Filed April 11, 1946 I 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 27206711502 F RANK5. MORE/LL June 1, 1948.

F. B. MORRILL FULLING MILL 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 11, 1946 FRANKB. MORE/LL Zzf W M. F Z Z lllill illr F: I l: ||||||||1||||||||||i|1|||||| June 1, 1948.

F. a. MORRILL FULLING MILL 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed April 11, 1946 mam/ra. Mom/u 2 WNW F. B. MORRILL Fame 1, 1948.

FULLING MILL 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed April 11, 1946 FRANK B. MORE/LL F.B. MORRILL June 1, 1948.

FULLING MILL 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed April 11, 1946 a I I F. B. MORRILLJune 1, 1948.

FULLING MILL 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed April 11, 1946 iizi' 10671, r. FRANKa. Mom/LL 5 WN adj.

Patented June 1, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FULLING MILL Frank B.Merrill, North Adams, Mass, assignor to The James Hunter MachineCompany, North Adams, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts ApplicationApril 11, 1946, Serial No. 661,459

34 Claims.

The fulling of cloth is effected by subjecting the cloth in roped orrolled form to alternate pressure and release in the presence of heatand moisture, customarily with the addition of soap to lubricate thefibers and facilitate the fulling thereof. A standard method ofeffecting this alternate pressure and release and the generation of heatis through the use of opposed rolls rotated to feed the cloth in ropeform through their nip and pressed together to subject it to heavypressure thereat, each length of cloth being looped through the rolls intwo or more slack loops and having its ends sewed together so that allthe loops are endless. The rolls are then driven continuously to feedthe cloth round and round constantly in one direction of travel untilthe fullin is completed, the rolls fulling the cloth in the direction ofits width, while crimp boxes which resist the discharge of the clothfrom between the rolls and thus compel the cloth to force its way out ofthe crimp boxes and form itself into transverse pleats or folds withinthe boxes effect the lengthwise fulling of the cloth. The rolls neverreverse their direction of rotation, because the nature and constructionof the crimp box do not permit reversal of the direction of travel ofthe cloth.

In the conventional iulling mill of this type, the rolls, crimp boxes,guides, and other parts working on the cloth are enclosed in a housingwhose main function is to hold those portions of the cloth which are notat the moment passing through the rolls and crimp boxes, but which areundergoing the periods of relaxation and opening up which mustnecessarily alternate with the momentary widthwise and lengthwisecompression as essential steps in the fulling process.

As thus indicated, the fulling of cloth is not an instantaneous action,and in all known processes requires this repetition of alternatepressure and relaxation which consumes an extended period of time.

Hitherto all roller type fulling mills, so far as I am aware, have beenbatch or piece mills, into which the entire load of cloth to be fulledis put before the r'ulling operation is started, and out of which nofulled cloth is obtainable until the fulling of the entire contents iscompleted, and then the entire load is taken out at once. As is wellknown, these mills require the expenditure of a very considerable amountof time and efiort to separate the rolls and enter the cloth anddistribute the loops through their guides, and to sew together the endsof the cloth to make the loops endless; it sometimes takes /2 hour toload or 12 cuts of cloth into a mill and put the ends together, for anactual run of the mill of from 5 minutes to /2 hour, and thus it takesas long or several times as long to get the cloth in as is spent in theuseful operation of the mill. In addition, further time is lost throughhaving to stop the mill periodically to change the positions of thevarious ropes of cloth or to turn the pieces end for end, to avoid theformation of creases and wrinkles and to equalize the iulling, and. alsoin cutting apart and removing the cloth when the fulling is finished, atwhich time the mill is also standing idle.

This prior type of mill, besides involving a laborious andtime-consuming process of loading and unloading with the machinesphoduction suspended, of course does not fit into any continuous seriesof cloth-finishing operations.

The main purposexoi the invention is to PTO-.- vide a novel and improvedmethod and apparatus for fulling which will effect a substantiallyunlimited continuous discharge of cloth lulled to any desired extent,thus supplanting the prior batch system by a process of completewarpwise and Weftwise fulling which can be incorporated with otherfinishing operations to produce a straight-line or continuous system.However, since fulling is not an instantaneous process effected bycompression alone, and time is an essential factor involved in the needfor relaxation and opening up periods alternating with compression, itwould be impracticable for most purposes to build fulling apparatus withenough pairs of rolls to effect the necessary number of nips, which maybe anywhere from 50 to or more, with space for depending bands ofrelaxed cloth intervening between the pairs of rolls, in the efiort toproduce iulling apparatus in which the cloth would be merely fed in oneside and. out the other. This and other problems met with in such aproposal make it impracticable.

In accordance with the invention, therefore, and to solve the problem ofsubjecting the cloth to the necessary number of nips or compressionswith intervening relaxation periods while still feeding the clothsubstantially continuously through and out from the machine, the clothis fed through opposed fulling rolls compressing the cloth between themand through a succeeding crimp box, and then is fed reversely throughthe same or other opposed fulling rolls and a succeeding crimp box to aslightly lesser extent of travel, whereby through feeding it back andforth repeatedly through the rolls and crimp boxes'as many nips may begiven to the cloth and as much passes through the mill in minute, andthen I the direction of feed is reversed for 59 yards at the same speed,and this differential feed in alternate directions kept up, a netadvance or output of the cloth of one yard of completely fulled materialis obtained every /3-minute, representing the length which has failed tore-enter the nip of the rolls. By the use of a leader, preferably one ofthe cuts themselves requiring to be fulled, to which the starting end ofa given out to be full'ed is attached, at least; equaling the length ofthe amount of reverse feed adopted for the machine, which may be anydesired figure, andwith a succeeding cut ofcloth to be fulled attachedto the trailing end of this original cut, the same number of nips can beapplied toeach unit of length of the given out of cloth, and thereafterto any succeeding cutlof cloth which may be attached thereto andfollowed by a suitable length of cloth to prevent unthreadin'g. Inpractice, the cut of cloth which is used as the leader is taken ofi fromthe leadingl'end of the string of cuts being fulled after this cutv haspassed completely through the mill, and its leading end is attached tothe trailing end of the string of cuts. This leader out has not beenuniformly full'ed in its passage through the mill at the head-end of thestring, since the first yard thereof has only received one nip while thesucseeding yards have received a progressively increasing number of hipsup to the final yard, which has received the full complement ofsay 120nips. Hence by transposin'g it to the end of the string withoutreversing its direction of extent, and stopping the fulli'ng'when thetrailin}; end of this out of cloth has again reached the fulling rolls,an additional number'of nips grading from 120 hips on the leading yardto one nip on the last yard isadmi'n ist'e're'd to this cut, thusrendering the fulling of this cut uniform from end to end and equal tothe inning of the rest of the cuts forming the string. I

When this leader cut exceeds in length the yardage required for thebackward feed for which the mill is set, a mark is placed in this cutjust outside the feed end of the machine after the length thereofrequired for the backward feed has been fed into the mill and throughthe fulling rolls. Then after this leader cut is transferred to thetrailing end 'of the string, the fulling is stopped when this mark againarrives in its initial position at the feed end of the mill and thusindicates that the additional fulling needed to full every yard of thiscut equally has been completed. I a

In this manner a steady output of full'ed 'cloth is obtained from themill on the above basis at the rate of 'one ya'rd'each /5 minute,'eachyard of which has been subiected to substantially 120 nips or passesbetween the rolls.

The difference between the length of forward and backward feed "dependson the amount of fulling and the consequent length of time desired to,be given to the particular cloth; where less fulling is required, anincrease in the forward 4 feed to 6-1 yards, for example, will give anoutput of 2 yards each minute; the differential between the forward andreverse feeds represents the output of each cycle.

The cloth is either passed through the mill in straight and parallelruns, or is looped through the rolls in double or triple passesabsheretofore in conventional mills, the looping thus doubling or triplingthe number of nips eflected during the travel in each direction,permitting a corresponding increase over the example just given in theoutput of the mill at the end of each cycle of one forward and onebackward feed, and attained by an appropriate increase in thedifferential-between the reverse feed and the forward a feed. The-clothautomatically shifts its position between the rolls, rendering thefulling uniform, and the desired reversal of travel previously requiringstopping of the mill and taking the pieces out nd n th e f fi iqrrevethe setting of creases and wrinkles likewise occurs j automaticallybecause inherent in the M 5 r y ubl h impr ed a par 19 ing the inventionprinciple in series or tandem relation the rate of production is doubled,l because thecloth gets the same fulling with half the numberof nipsineach mill and therefore with twice the differential feed in each mill;in this way by using multiple units in series the rate of production canbe increasedas desired to a capacity sufiicient to handle theentireprodiict of a plant, the cuts being put together by sewing and runthrough the several units of the battery of mills successively andcontinuously.

, The n n ion P c d apparatus ave a ticular advantage where two or morecuts or strings ofcloth of different lengths before fulling are runthrough the mill side by side and simultaneously; infthe standard priortype mill where the ends of each piece must be sewed together the longerpiece or pieces do not receive as many nips and will notbe as completelyfulled in a given run as the shorterlpiece or pieces, and hence thecomponent pieces of the batch are unevenly fulled; whereas in theimproved rnethodand apparatus all pieces passing through the mill atonce are equallyfulled V w e I e e e As is apparent, once the apparatusis threaded up with a leader or leaders, or strings of cloth in u esi srvi t u c ion t er I gather mac ine. m i l n e di rimloa ding;-thesewing together of successive cuts is performed while the machineisrunning; and no taking out of the pieces to turn them end for end, andlittle or no manipulation of the pieces to change their positions, andno stopping of the mill to measure the degree of fulling is needed,adding to the operating economy of e novel h dl A. i

To utilize the invention principle of reversal of clothtravel inpractical and co mmercial use, it is necessary to solve the problemofreversing the travel of the cloth while still retaining the u h rim b-l .11??? Q P .h xl ustb em in der is ef e t e len h u ing of the clothasthe rolls perform the widthwise fulling. But the nature of the actionof the crimp box in resisting the discharge ofthe cloth from between therolls and in -causing'the cloth 'to pack into and fill the box in amultiplicity of transverse pleats or folds forbids the simple. reversaloffthe travel of thejpair 'of rolls which are feeding the cloth into thecrimp box, because the cloth from within the crimp 5. box seeks tore-enter the nip of the rolls in transversely folded relation in sothick a bunch that the latter cannot even get to the nip of the rolls,with the result that the travel of the cloth is arrested and thecontinuing rotation of the rolls burns and chafes the cloth andeventually grinds it in two at this point. Additionally, the engagementof the cloth with the free end of the weighted tongue of the crimp boxputs an unwanted drag on the cloth in its travel reversely through thebox which tends to stretch the cloth and undo the lengthwise fulling forwhich the box is intended. To overcome these obstacles to the use of theinvention principle, the invention includes the step of getting thefolds out of range of the nip of the rolls, as by providing for openingthe box, at the instant of reversal, by lifting the tongue or loweringthe bottom of the box, thus both eliminating the tongue drag on thefabric, and disposing of the folds by letting them escape and spill outfrom the delivery end of the box, or alternatively by giving them roomto straighten out before reaching the nip of the reversely driven rollsby using a different pair of fulling rolls to effect the reverse travelof the cloth than those employed to pack it into the particular crimpingbox, this latter pair being separated, preferably accompanied also byrelease of the tongues pressure. Through this new step of disposing ofthe folds and of the tongue drag the reversal principle is made feasibleand practicable.

Other aims and advantages of the invention, and the manner of theirattainment, are as set forth hereinafter.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation showing the practice of the inventionthrough the use of an existing type of fulling mill.

Fig, 2 is a diagrammatic elevation of an alternative form employingnovel apparatus.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of another alternative form employing a difierenttype of novel apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic showing in elevation of the working parts ofFig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation, and Fig. 7 a vertical section on line l-? ofFig. 6, of the timer device of Fig. 3.

Fig, 8 is a view in elevation corresponding generally to the left-handhalf of the machine of Fig. 3, showing an alternative form of timingmechanism therefor.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the mechanical unit of the timingmechanism of Fig. 8, with the parts in their active or working relation.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9, showing the same parts in theirinactive or waiting position.

Fig. 11 is a plan view on a larger scale of the device of Figs. 9 and10.

The novel process of the invention admits of being practiced through theuse of prior types of roller fulling mills as shown in Fig. 1, byplacing two of these standard mills I, 3, face to face and driving thepair of opposed fulling rolls 5, 1, in each mill continuously andconcurrently in the direction to draw the fabric through the rolls ofits companion mill. Each mill is equipped with power means for liftingthe top roll 5 away from the bottom roll 1, as by known devices such asthe fluid-pressure operated cylinders and linkage of U. S. Patent2,138,597, granted on Nov. 29, 1938 to Ernest Cannity, the top rolls 5being journalled in levers ll fulcruzned at l3 each having'its free endattached to the piston rod [0 of one cylinder 9, and the control valvel5 and fluid-pressure piping of such patent is arranged so that the toproll of each mill is lifted and lowered in alternation with that of theother mill. The control valve I5 is operated through a timer of anyknown or desired type, either a pair of standard electronic type timersI! each actuating the other and one thereof actuating a solenoid l9having a spring-biased armature connected to the control handle 2| ofthe valve, or of the mechanical type illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7hereof, or of the electro-mechanical type of Figs. 9-11 hereof, and setto give one mill a greater length of feed than the other.

The cloth is fed back and forth in alternation through the spaced rollsof one mill by the pull of the closed rolls of the other mill, andbyreason of the differential extent of feed of the two mills a certainamount of the length of the clothfails to be retracted into the rolls atthe end of each cycle of one forward and one backward feeding, thisamount which is left out comprising the constant output of fulled clothat the end of each cycle or period which is available to be fed directlyand continuously into the cloth-washer or other machine performing thenext process of a straight-line system or other set-up of the finishingprocess.

As each fulling mill is customarily equipped with a crimp box 23receiving the cloth discharged by the fulling rolls, which as conven-.

tionally designed is not adapted to permit the reverse movement of thecloth, the tongue 25 of each crimp box is connected to the means whichlift and lower each top roll, so that the tongue of each crimp box islifted out of contact with the cloth whenever its associated top roll islifted out of action, such tongue being correspondingly restoredautomatically to working position when its associated top roll is againlowered into action, herein by a rod 21 pivoted to the tongue andsliding through a guide in connection with a cross-rod 28 connecting thetwo levers H of each mill, a spring about each rod 2;! depressing thetongues yieldingly. The slack of the cloth required to permit backwardand forward feed is received alternately in the lower portion of thehousing of each mill, and the unretracted yardage representing theoutput of completely fulled cloth is withdrawncontinuously through aport 29 and over a roll 30 at the back of the mill having the greaterfeed and fed to the next machine in line for further processing. Similarports and rolls at the back of the other mill admit the fabric inloading the apparatus, and let it run from one mill to the other.

In the alternative form shown in Fig. 2, only a single pair of fullingrolls 3!, 33, is employed, which are driven concurrently first in adirection to feed the cloth forwardly and then in reverse direction tofeed the cloth backwardly. The reversal of rotation and thus of thetravel of the cloth is effected by reversing the driving motor 35, bythe mechanism illustrated in Fig. 2, or through the use of any otherpreferred means, such as the measuring roll and mechanical timer ofFigs. 3, 6 and '7, or that of Figs. 8-11. In the form Fig. 2, the clothis fed into the mill by a pair of nip rolls 36 rotated concurrently by avariable speed drive unit 31 of known design containing its own electricdriving motor actuated from a source of power 38. The string or strings.of, clothissuing fromirollsl36nare Eth'readed through azring 39:slidingc-freely between verti cal: guides- 40 and thence enter.thenearer crimp box; M5. to to pass. between, :thetiullingrrollsaandThe; ring. 3 9 with) the) clothzextending through; its. gravitates .r tostheH-lower; end of the guides ;4fl.-'.at2al1:.'times-:

through ::the farther crimp. box; 42:

when; this stretch: .of:cloth;,is .s1ack, andzithus normally stands.below .aleveri or. trip carrying,

a mercuryiswitch .43;which% is open. in. its resting-t position; When.thelength of cloth between- :11p. rolls 36*and fulling .rolls 3t, 33,:is takenup by the rotation of the. latter rolls'in the forward feedingdirection, sufficiently to lift" ring 39:'so

as to trip the leverzin its path and thusto tilt the mercury switch 43,the resultant closing of this :switch. .puts current momentarily :vialeads 45 ithrough' thev holding-relayor circuit maker of 1 anadjustable. electronic timer 44 of known design. Thisin turn: actuatesareversingswitch in timer 44 which reverses thedirection of rotation;013 motor-35,.andthus feeds the cloth backward, at :the sametimestarting thetime delay mechanism of timer 44 'to measure :off -thetimeforwhichiit is set and upon the expiration of suchzperiodito reversemotor35 again to resume theforward-feed of the cloth byrolls 3|,

33,?- with attendant release of theholding relay.

Thus, in use, a suit-ablelength, say- 60yards, of either the leader orthe cloth to befulled is runn into the mill through nip. rolls 36 andring 39-byz-means ofv the forward-feeding rotation of fulling.= rolls3l,r33,t and thensrun backward to bee-deposited on thebottom 'of themill between guidesz;401-and the adjacent i-end-of crimp: box: 41,: withthemercury switch 43 put out-of action during-the forward feeding.Withthemill then put to work: and allowed to run continuously startingin:the--forwardfeedingdirection, and. with the mercury switch 43inaction, this length of cloth will be fed forwardly through the fulling-rolls until the final-slack therein begins to be-takenrup and ring39islifted far enough to tilt.and-iclose switch: 43,: whereupon themotorwill bezreversed and the mill will feed thecloth backward throughout theperiod for which timer Miis set,- .andthereafter fulling rolls 3|, 33will continue to feed-the cloth forwardand back-' ward: automatically.

Byevirtue of the termination of the forward feed-' under thecontroloffalling-ring 39,-al1

slack cloth between nip rolls 36 and crimp box 4| will always--beautomatically fed forward by the-:fulllngrolls, regardlessofitslength and of the amount ofbackward feed effected by timer 445This-obviates all need for a critical setting 7 ofitimer-M:'The-latter-is customarily set-toproduce substantially yards backwardfeed-infulling 60-yard cuts of cloth.

More important-by-driving nip rolls '36 slowlythroughout the operationofthe-mill a difi'erential-feed is obtained in which the forward feedexceed-s--the: backward fee by the exact amount of cloth-fed into themill by nip rolls-36 at each cycle, since all the slack clothavailablewill be-atak'en forwarcl by the fulling rolls in the forward feed,=-butonly the length determinedby-thesetting-of timer 44 will be fed backat each cycle; Thus, with nip rolls 36 slowed down throirghmse of thevariable speed-unit 31 after serving to .run the string of cloth intothe mill upon, startingup, and with these nip rolls set to feedfreshcloth into the'mill at the, rate of ,say twoy ards per cycle, thefulling rolls will.

feed 62"yards forward'and only 60 yards back 8*, ateaclt cycle,-oni.the-. basis.- stated; Thus. the; millutwillzzgive a constant:output .of 2 yards .of:

completely fulledl cloth.- at :each' cycle. This out puttof'. fulledvcloth is delivered continuously from.- the-millbyra pairhofmiprrolls' 46located at the delivery. end=1 thereofrand driven by-shaft 41H from-1.0mof the nip rolls 36 andmatthe -propen surface :speedh To open the full.crimp box and dispose of :its

contentsuponreversal of thefulling rolls, so

as todispose ofthe pleats therein and prevent" theinjamming inthenipof-the fullingrollswith resultant stopping ofthe cloth travetandabrasion and burning of-the cloth, each crimp: box,. namely the sidewalls and bottom attached thereto, is .pivotally mounted by brackets 48on the axis of the lower fulling roll 33, while-the top-or tongue-49 0fthe box is fixed'and stationary at all times. The crimp boxes arerespectively attached by rods-50*to pistons-working in-fluid pressurecylinders -5| andthereby lifted-andlowered in alternation, andthus uponreversal of 'the'direction of I feedof a the cloth the -boxwhich hasbeen working and is filled with pleats of cloth is tiltedsharply-downwardto -spill--outthe-crimped cloth a the moment ofreversaland--thereafter toremainwideopen sothat thecloth may be drawnfreely -through itto the rolls, thecompanionbox being at the sameinstantalifted into workingrelation with; itstongue so that-thecloth-delivered thereinto by the rolls is duly pleated and crimped;Alternatively, the crimpboxes arerigidly'mounted with a sharp downwardslant away from.:the

:Liolls, with the tongues respectively-connected to the piston rods ofthegfluid pressure cylind V manner that the solenoid is energized to setthe valve to lifttcrirnprbcxdl and lower crimp box 4250 long-,asbtimer44 runs theimotor 35 reversely, to ,feed;.the cloth backward, the,solenoid being, deenergized as the reversing switch in timer 44 acts ,toreverse, the motor andstart ,the clothtravelingiorward agaim whereuponaspring, biasing thecontrol .handle .55 moves .it reversely. V

to cause. the fluid pressure to drop crimp boxn4l and. i=aise,crirnp.box l42..into, action. The .oper:

'ation; of the,.fluid.pressurecylinders is identicaland obvious when thetongues aremade moveable and,tl1e ,boxes,fixed in the alternativearrange,- merit.-

An adjustable pressure regulator of ,stock' -design (not shown)--islocated in the-supply .line 53.

to ,the- 4 way valve,- an-d-thus is usedvto govern the upwardpr-essureoftheboxbottoms -toward.

their-,tongueeor: the downward "pressure of the,

movable tongues, and, theresulting, degree. 01'), crimping pressure ,onthe ,cloth.,

Theualternatiye form of 3 v to 8 comprises two pairs of opposed rolls63, "65, the lower member .of each; pair being mounted in fixed'bearings on suitablesupports onthe machinea frame while the uppermember-of-eachpalr is rotably mounted by means of its journals inbearings 61 on walking beams 69 fulcrumed on an axis 1I supported infixed bearings 12 in connection with the frame, in such manner that whenone top roll 63 of a pair of opposed rolls is pressed against itscompanion bottom roll 65 the other top roll is lifted well away from itsopposing bottom roll. Chains 13 engaging sprockets fixed on the journalsof each pair of opposed rolls and driven by chain 1 1 and sprocketsfixed on the bottom roll shafts and on shaft 15 and continuously drivenby electric motor 11 keep the two rolls of each opposed pair rotatingcontinuously in opposite directions at the same surface speed, withcapacity for lifting of the top roll a liberal distance away from itscompanion bottom roll without interrputing the driving. The drive of theleft-hand pair of opposed rolls rotates them concurrently to feed thecloth from right to left and thus into crimp box 19, while thecorresponding concurrent rotation of the right-hand pair of rolls feedsthe cloth from left to right into crimp box 3!. In Fig. 3 both pairs ofrolls are shown separated, for threading up the machine.

The tongue 83 of each crimp box, weighted as usual by link 85 connectedto an arm fixed on rockshaft 81 to which is also fixed the arm 85supporting the weight rod 9!, is connected by linkage to the walkingbeam carrying the top rolls so that the tilting of the walking beam toseparate one pair of rolls lifts the tongue of the crimp box associatedwith such pair up out of contact with the cloth. For this purpose, arms93 fixed on the walking beams 69 rotatably support a shaft 95 havingfixed thereon a collar 91 into which are screwed the ends of rods 99each passing through a hole in a rockshaft IIlI supported rotatably inshort arms I03 fixed on rockshaft 81, with stop nuts on each rod 99beyond the rockshaft IfiI. In the reversal of the direction of feed ofthe cloth which accompanies the tilting of the walking beam, the clothis drawn without resistance through the now open pair of rolls, and thepleats or folds of cloth within the crimp box adjacent the opened rollsopen out and disappear before reaching the nip of the working pair, thusavoiding jamming and burning of the fabric by the presence of such foldsat the nip of the working rolls. In certain instances, each tongue 83 isworked by the fluid pressure operated means of Cannity Patent 2,039,882,being lifted and depressed with its associated top roll under control ofthe 4-way valve described hereinafter.

By thus preferably driving the pairs of rolls continuously, whileproviding that only one pair can be closed and in feeding relation withthe cloth at a time, the loss of energy and time otherwise incident tostarting up the idle rolls from rest at each reversal is avoided.

As a very heavy pressure of the rolls 63, 85 against the interveningcloth is required in fulling, sometimes on the order of 1000 poundspressure, and powerful means for tilting the walking beams to bring therespective top rolls alternately down against their bottom rolls isneeded, large fluidpressure cylinders Hi5 each having a double actingpiston and a piston rod I01 connected to an extension of each walkingbeam I59 are used, and the fiuid under pressure, compressed air, water,oil, or other medium, which propels the pistons alternately in oppositedirections is admitted to each cylinder I05 at one side or other of thepiston by means of pipes I09 under control of a l-way valve III suppliedthrough a pressure regulator I I3 by pipe I I5 from a suitable source(not shown) of fluid under pressure,

This valve III is operated by a control handle actuated periodically byany suitable or preferred timer means. Herein, the control handleeffects the movement of each piston in alternately opposite directionsupon movement of the controlhandle back and forth throughout a smallarc. In this case, and in the form of Fig. 1 also, this movement of thehandle must occur at, alternately unequal intervals of time in order toimpart the differential extents of feed of the cloth in oppositedirection required to give the constant output of fulled cloth by themill. More specifically, the timer is desired to move the control handlein one direction to cause the reversal of travel of the cloth at the endof a predetermined length of feed in the forward direction, and then tomove the control handle in the opposite direction to again reverse thetravel of the cloth at the end of a predetermined extent of backwardfeed of the cloth which is-less thanthe extent of forward feed, theextent of feed in the two directions remaining constant though unequaland alternate. In addition, the timer means must provide foradjustment, 1. e., variation, of the extent of the feed in either of thetwo directions to suit the needs of the cloth.

To these ends, a mechanical type of timer measuring the actual travel ofthe cloth in each direction is provided, comprising a measuring roll IIShaving a rough friction surface such as card clothing and mounted infixed bearings in connection with the supporting framework of themachine, with an opposing press roll I2I movably mounted on arms pivotedin the frame and pressed by springs yieldingly toward the measuring rollto hold the cloth in non-slipping relation to the surface of the latterroll. The extended shaft on which the measuring roll H9 is fixed has asprocket fixed on its extremity which is connected by chain 1 23 todrive a Reeves type variable speed driving unit I25 which in turn drivesby chain I21 a sprocket-I29, Figs. 6 and '1, fixed on a jackshaft I3Irotating in bearings on frame members I33. A gear I35 fixed on jackshaftI3I meshes with a larger gear I31 fixed on the end of a stub shaft I39rotating in bearings I4I on one end of a lever I43 revolving freely bymeans of its hub I 35 about a sleeve I46 fixed by screw I48 on jackshaftI3I. A smaller gear I41 fixed on the other end of the stub shaft mesheswith a large gear I l-9 fixed on the hub of a worm gear I5I rotatingfreely on sleeve I46, the worm gear engaging with aworm I53 on a shaftI55 mounted in bearings I51 on the frame and rotated by a variable speeddrive I53 driven by chain and sprockets from one lower fullingroll shaftI50. 7

The longer end of arm I43 carries a striker I 59 which engages the freeend of an actuating member ISI for operating the control handle N1 of4-way valve-lII. This member I6! has a hub fitting freely on theprolonged valve control shaft on which control handle H1 is fixed, thehub of the actuating member being retained thereon by a washer and screwI63. Member 18! has spaced lugs I projecting into the plane of handle H1and actuating the latter with lost motion, a pull spring I61 beingconnected to a pin fixed near the top of member I61 and anchored to thesupporting structure at its giving the member IBI a quick throw as soonas it .is pushed past center by the striker I59, thus 11 guardingagainst breakage of parts upon delayed reversal of the. cloth-drivingmechanism. A brace I H fitting freely around'the hub of actuating memberISI and bolted to the. supporting framework, supports the outer end ofthe valve control shaft.

The. measuring roll H9 when propelled in either direction bytheclothtransmits to the planetary gear I41" ofthe differential gearing justdescribed a rotation which causes. it to travel aroundthe slow movinggear: I49 on the hub of the worm gear IEIand thereby causes the. arm I43to revolve about the axis of the jackshaft [3| until its strikerI59st'rikes and moves member I 6 I into one of its extreme positions andthus throws the control lever II! of the 4-way. valve, thus relievingthe pressure ononev side of the piston in each cylinder I05 and applyingfluid pressure to the other side thereof to cause movementof the pistonswhich reverses the slant of the walking beams. and brings the idle pairof continuously rotating fulling rolls intodriving relation with thecloth, thereby feeding the latter in the opposite direction. .Since themeasuring roll H9 is then rotated by the cloth in the opposite directionto that described, the. arm. M3 is likewise-revolved in theopposite'direction until its striker again strikes member I6 I,throwingrthe control handle of the 4-way valve to its other extremeposition and reversing the pressure on thepistons to tilt the walkingbeams again. Because the worm gear. I5I is-being constantly revolved inone direction by. the continuous drive of unit- I58, its motion-adds tothe? number ofrevolutions of the measuring roll required to make'thearmI43 perform:.the slightly more than one revolution required toactuate.the valve when the clothis traveling in the forward direction, butreducesthe number of revolutions of the measuring roll to complete thetravel of. the

armtoreverse the valve again when the cloth; is traveling in thebackward direction, thus, achieving the differential feed of the clothin itstwo directions of travel which produces.the1pilgrims step advancethereof and the continuous output of 'fulled cloth.

Adjustment of the differential, i. e., the excess or gain of the forwardfeedover the backward feed,- is effectedby speeding up or slowing downthe drive of the-worm shaft through manipulation-of" the variable'speed'drive I58. The slower the wormshaft is driven the more. nearly equalbecome the advance and retreat of the cloth, while by speeding uptheworm :shaft the: forward feed is increased andthe backward feed iscorrespondingly-reduced. With the worm wheel left stationary, the feed'forward and back is equal, with no differential.

As is obvious, a single discontinuous actuation of the worm shaft at theproper time and in the proper-direction at any point in the cycle of oneforward and one backward feed gives the same result oflengthening thetime taken by the arm to make its circuit in one direction over. thatrequired to completeits travel in the reverse direction, and

thus of increasing the extent of feed of the cloth forward relatively tothe extent of backward feed. Thus-any suitable or desired form ofintermittent'drive for the worm shaft of adjustable scope, such as apawl and ratchet, functioning at least once during each cycle of backand forth feed of the cloth to advance the worm shaft the desiredamount, attains the same results as the variable speed drive.

The mill is provided with a-housing with side walls and, a. bottom.Thecloth is in this instance put straight through the millina straightpass withno looping; the leading portion I13 ofthe cloth, 1. e., thatwhich is emitted from the fulling rolls, in eitherdirection of thetravel, is guided outof the fulling mill and into a scray I15 locatedat. each end of the mill,v by a roll II'I mounted in .bearings on eachend wall of the mill andcom stantly driven, by chain. I19 and sprocketsfrom, the nearerbottom roll shaft in. a direction to carry the. clothout of the mill. Eachscray thus in turns forms a reservoir to holdtheslack needed topermit the cloth to be fed back and forth through therolls;

Figs. .8: to 11 show an alternative electro-mechanical timer applied tothe same mill; as is shown in Figs;v 3 to5: This arrangement employs therising and falling ring 39 and tilting mercury switch 43 of Fig. 2' toterminate the forward feed by the right-hand pair of rolls 63, 65, Fig.3, and a mechanically, propelled timing device driven from thelowerleft-hand fulling roll 65 by means of a sprocket on the outer endof shaft 66 thereof and chains I8I. I83,- w'ith intervening large andsmall sprockets rotatingin unisonon, jackshaft I85, toterminate thebackward feed-bythe other pair. As shown: in Figs. 9to 1l, thismechanical timer comprises a large sprocket I8I engagedby chain I83 anddriving a shaft'I89 of a worm type reduction gearing I-9I' of knowncommercial form torotate, at greatlyreduced speed and at fixed ratio ashaft I93 on which is fixeda ratchet wheel I95. Anfarm. I91 swingingfree on shaft I93 carries a pawl I99 pivoted at ZBI therein whichengages upon; occasion with the teeth of counterclockwiserotating'ratchet wheel I to carry thepawl and arm'around'withthe ratchetwheel. This motion, brings the; notched tail 203, of the pawl intodisplacing contact'with the operating arm 285 of a limit switch 201 toopen this switch, and also'brings the notch 209 in the tail of the pawlinto engagementwith the hooked end 2II of a detent, 2I3 pivoted at 2I4,a tension spring 2' I5 provided with. screw tension-adjusting means 2 I1 biasingthe detent. so that its hooked end ZII tends to stayelevatedina position maintaining its engagement with notch 209 ofthepawl to hold the tail 20.3'of the pawl in switch closing'relationagainst lever 205 of switch 2M.- Asthe pawl engages switch lever 205-and the hook 2 of the detent, a stop pin 2I9 engages the beveled end ofthe pawl-to depress-this endand thus rock 'the pawl counterclockwise onits pivot 20I- to withdraw it"from engagementwith the teeth of ratchet I95.

This timer determines the-length of reverse feed of thecloth. Theforward feed, just as in Fig. 2, is determined by the rising and fallingring 39, whichpermits all slack cloth in the mill between theforward-feeding rolls and the inputrolls 36 propelled by variable speeddrive 31- to be fed forward until ring 39 is lifted with accompanyingtilting of switch 43.. During this forward feed the parts stand as inFig. 10, with the pawl held by the detent and both switches 43.. and 20!open. As ring 39, is lifted, however, the resultant momentary closing ofmercury switch 43 energizes a solenoid 22I in circuit therewith, whichattracts the tail of detent 2I3, lifting it into the position of Fig.9and causing its hooked end to descend out of the notch 209, releasingpawl I39 and permitting arm IB'I to recoil clockwise under the influenceof its coil spring-223 until the pawl strikes a stop'225: which deflectsits toothed .end into engagement with the slowly rotating ratchet I95.This releases lever 205 of the limit switch 201 from the pressure of thetail of the pawl, and switch 201 thereupon closes its circuit via wires22! to energize a solenoid 229 whose armature is connected by link 23lto the operating lever 233 of Valve Ill feeding compressed air via pipesN39 to the cylinders l which tilt the walking beam 69. When solenoid 229is thus energized its armature is lifted to raise control lever 233 toadmit compressed air above the piston in cylinders I05, which thereupondraw down the left-hand end of walking beam 69 to separate theforward-feeding fulling rolls and bring the backward-feeding pair intodriving engagement with the cloth so as to reverse the cloth travel.

This condition of reverse feed prevails until pawl I99, lifted slowly byratchet I95; again makes contact with lever 285 of limit switch 21!! andis seized by hook 2H of the detent and is thrown out of engagement withthe ratchet teeth by striking pin ZIS. The resulting opening of limitswitch 201 through this contact of thepawl deenergizes solenoid 229 andits armature drops under gravity depressing control lever 233 of thevalve to admit air below the piston in cylinders 15 so as to again tiltthe walking beam 69, thus separating the backward-feeding rolls andbringing the forward-feeding pair into action again to propel the clothforwardly. The cycle of forward feed followed by backward feed of thecloth is thus completed, and the parts of the timer stand in the waitingposition of Fig. until all the slack cloth in the machine has again beenfed forward, this cycle repeating itself with alternate forward andbackward feed.

To attain the differential feed, with the travel of the cloth in theforward direction a few yards in excess of the reverse feed, it isnecessary only to adjust the variable speed drive 3! governing the rateof input of the rolls 36 so as to feed into the mill during each cyclethe same yardage of cloth desired to be delivered in fulled conditionfrom the other end of the machine at each cycle. Thus, with the strokeof the pawl arm I91 adjusted by moving stop pin 225 along its slot 235so as to give a reverse feed of, say, 60 yards, and with falling ring 39automatically feeding forward all slack cloth in the mill at eachforward-feeding operation, an input of 2 yards per cycle by the rolls 36gives a forward feed of 62 yards, leaving an unreturned extent of 2yards, less the shrinkage, to be taken from the mill at each cycle ascompletely fulled cloth.

In a straight-line cloth-finishing process, now made possible by the useof any one of the novel machines, the cloth is put together incontinuous relation by sewing the leading end of each cut to thetrailing end of the preceding cut and is fed through the successivemachines in advance of the fulling mill, and the soaper or other machineimmediately preceding the fulling mill discharges its output into ascray such as I located between it and the fulling mill, in the case ofFig. 3. When slightly more than the yardage adopted for the forward feedof the mill has been received in the scray, the mill is started with thefulling rolls feeding the cloth in the forward direction, and the clothis fed forward and backward, discharging on each cycle more cloth intoously into the Washer or other machine comprising the first of asucceeding series of machines 14 performing the other finishingoperations on the cloth. In the form of Fig. 8, the cloth being run backand forth stays within the mill, being piled on the housing floorbeneath the guide rolls at the delivery ends of the respective crimpboxes, except the yardage of completely fulled cloth being taken out bythe delivery rolls which correspond to 46 of Fig. 2; while the clothsupplied by the feed rolls 36 lies on the fioor outside the housinguntil drawn in through falling ring 39 at the end of each forward feed.In this way the entire finishing process or as much thereof as isdesired is performed as one continuous or straight-line process,overcoming the hitherto inescapable break in the continuity of finishingcompelled by the use of batch type mills, in the working of which nocloth is gotten out of the mill until the entire batch is done and thenthe entire contents are unburdened at once.

Where a plurality of strings of cloth are run through the novelapparatus side by side, the subsequent machines in the straight-lineprocess which are not capable of handling more than one string areduplicated and located abreast of each other in the series, and thestrings of cloth separated and each sent through its proper machine toeffect this particular stage in the finishing.

While I have illustrated and described certain forms in which theinvention may be embodied, I am aware that many modifications may bemade therein by any person skilled in the art, Without departing fromthe scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I donot wish to be limited to the particular forms shown, or to the detailsof construction thereof, but what I do claim is:

1. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, opposed rolls squeezing thecloth between them, means driving the rolls to feed the cloththerethrough first in one direction of its length and then in theopposite direction of its length, and a crimp box at each side of therolls.

2. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, opposed rolls squeezing thecloth between them, means driving the rolls to feed the cloththerethrough first in one direction and then in the opposite direction,a crimp box ateach side of the rolls, and means putting the crimp boxesalternately and successively into action.

3. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, opposed rolls squeezing thecloth between them. means driving the rolls to feed the cloththerethrough first in one direction and then in the opposite direction,a crimp box at one side of the rolls crimping the emerging cloth intotransverse folds, and means emptying the folds from the crimp box uponreversal of the direction of travel of the cloth.

4. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, opposed rolls squeezing thecloth between them, means driving the rolls to feed the cloththerethrough first in one direction and then in the opposite direction,a crimp box at one side of the rolls having a tongue and crimping theemerging cloth, means moving the rolls apart, and means connected to thelatter roll-moving means shifting the tongue into inoperative position.

5. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, opposed rolls squeezing thecloth between them, means driving the rolls to feed the cloththerethrough first in one direction and then in the opposite direction,a crimp box at each side of the rolls crimping the cloth emerging frombetween the rolls into transverse folds, and means emptying the foldsfrom each crimp box in turn aszthe:.direction of feed of theclothisreversed.

" firilfm a cloth fulling'mill; in'combinatiom jopqposedrrlls squeezingthe cloth; between them,

:meanssdriving therolls to feed the cloth there- -through"*first in-onedirection and thenin the "opposite direction, a crimp box at each sideof the "rolls crimping the cloth emerging from between-the:rollsinto'transverse folds; and having a-fo1dvsupporting surfacecapable-of being tilted d own- "war'cl'to-rele'ase the folds andremove-them from Y :proximityto'the rolls, and means bringing about thesaid tiltingand removal as the direction of feed of the cloth isreversed.

- 7'.-'-In a cloth'fulling mill, in combination, op-

'-posed*rolls squeezingthe'clo-th between them,

-imeans driving the rolls tofeed-the cloth therethrough: first inoneidirection'and then in the :opposite direct-ion; a crimp box ateachside'of the rolls crimping the cloth emerging from between the rollsintotransverse folds, andmeansacting whenthe direction of'feed-isreversed'to openr one box and-releasethe foldstherefrom and --cl0 setheother box.

- 8; In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, op-

--posedrollssqueezing thecloth between them,

--means driving the rolls tofeed the cloth-therethrou'gh first in'onedirection and then 'in the *opposite'direction, a crimp box at'eachside of the rolls crimping thecloth emerging from be- -tweeni therolls'into' transverse folds, and-hav- -:ing a fixedsurface-pressing-down on the cloth -and a-movable surface pressingupwardly against the cloth, and means effecting the lowering ofythezmovable surfaces-tone box to spill out the folds held'therein andthe raising of the movable surface of the other box into crimpingrelation whenthe' direction-of travelof the cloth is reversed.

- 9. In a cloth' flllling milLincombination, op-

-posed rolls squeezing the cloth between them, means driving the rollstofeed the cloth therethrough, and'means actuated by the travelof .thecloth effecting the feed of the cloth in one -direction to a givenextent and then in the oppo- -site' direction to a different extent.

squeezing the cloth, each-pair feeding the cloth in the oppositedirection to-the other, means closing one pair upon the'cloth-whileopening the other pair, and means reversing the relative -open-'andclosed relation of the two pairs to the cloth,

+12. In a cloth fulling mill,- in combination, two pairs of continuouslyrotating opposed rolls squeezing the*cloth,.each pair pulling the cloththrough the other pair, and-means alternately closing -each-pair in turnupon the cloth while simultaneously opening the other pair.

13. In a; cloth fulling mill, in combination, two pairs of continuouslyrotating opposed rolls squeezing the cloth, each pair pulling the cloththrough the other pair, means alternately closing each :pair-in turnupon the cloth while simul- --taneously opening the other-pair, andaxcrimp box receiving the cloth asit is'discharged from each pair ofrolls.

- 14. In a cloth fullingmill, in combination; 'two pairs of continuouslyrotating 0Dp0sed .;rol1s squeezing the cloth, each pair-pulling-thecloth through the other pair, means" alternatelygfc-losingeach pair in-turn upon'theficloth while' simultaneously opem'n the otherpair, a crimp box receiving the cloth as it is discharged fromeach "pairof rolls, each' crimp box having a; .movab1e tongue, and meansautomatically moving-the v tongue ofthe-crimp box'whichisin-non-receiving relation into.inoperativewelation iththe cloth, andmoving thetongueof the crimp-box receiving-the cloth-into workingposition; as the direction of travel of the cloth is reversed.

15. In a cloth fulling mill, in combinatiomeopposed rollssqueezing the.cloth' between ;them,

means driving the rolls to feed the cloththerethrough, meansautomatically reversing theTdireC- tion and extentof the feed of thecloth loythe rolls,'a crimp box ateach side of'the rolls'receiv- -inginalternation the cloth as 'it-is discharged by the rolls,-and-means-putting one crimp-box into working relation and the othercrimpbox in cloth-freeing relation asthe direction'of feed of the clothis reversed.

. 16. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination -ppposed rolls squeezing.the clothbetween -them, means driving the'rolls to feed the-cloththerethrough, a roll rotated by the traveling :cloth,

-means reversing the direction-of travel: of the cloth,. and meansactuated'by thecloth-driven roll actuating the reversing means after'unequal extents of travel of the cloth in the two 'directions.

1'7. In a cloth fulling mill, in combinatiom-gopposed rolls squeezingthe cloth betweenv them, means driving the rolls to feed-the clotht-herethrough, a rollrotated-by the traveling 'cloth, .means reversingthe direction. of travel of' .the cloth, and differential motion meansactuated -by the cloth-driven roll and operating thereversing means atthe end of a greater. extent of feed=oi the cloth in the forwarddirectionand a lesser extent of feed in the reverse direction. I g

18. A method of'fulling cloth by opposecly-rolls and crimp boxes whichincludes-thesteps of feed- .ingthe cloth through the nip or-nips ofthe'rolls and a crimp-box in the .forward direction-for a portion of.thelength of the cloth, then feeding the cloththrough the nip of therolls-and a crimp box in the reverse direction for adistance less thanthe forward feed, thenagain feeding the cloth forward as before and soonin alternate directions. I v

19. A method of rfulling-cloth by opposed rolls and crimp boxes whichincludes the-steps of feeding the cloth back and forth through thenip'or nips of the rolls and the crimp boxes, with the forward feed inexcess of the. backward feed,

20. A method of 'fulling cloth by opposedrolls which includes thestepsof feeding thec-lothlback and forth throughthe nip or nips oftherolls, with the forward feed in excess of .the backward feed, andattaching a leader tov eachend offl t'he cloth to guide these ends backand \forththro'ugh -the trip of the rolls.

21. A method of fullingcloth by opposed rolls which includes the-stepsoffeeding the cloth'ba'ck and forth through the nip or nips ofthe'ifollsJ-ivith the forward feed in excess of the backwardfeed,

using a portion of the cloth tobe fulledQas a leader, and transferringthis portion tothe trailing end of the cloth to render the-fullingthereof uniform throughout its length. V,

:22." A method of fulling cloth by gopposed rolls which includes thesteps of feedingtthe cloth back 17 and forth through the nip or hips ofthe rolls, with the forward feed in excess of the backward feed,employing a portion of the cloth to be fulled of at least the length ofthe backward feed as a leader, transferring this portion to the trailingend of the cloth being fulled, and allowing this portion to be fed backand forth through the nip of the rolls until a length thereof equal tothe length of the backward feed has passed the rolls.

23. Feeding devices .for continuous material having in combination rollspropelling and working on the material, feed rolls feeding the materialrelatively to the working rolls, and means actuated by the pull of theworking rolls on the portion of material engaged by the feed rollsarresting the propelling action of the working rolls.

24. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, fulling rolls propellingthe cloth, feed rolls feeding the cloth relatively to the fulling rolls,and means actuated by the taking-up of the slack in the cloth betweenthe fulling rolls and the feed rolls reversing the fulling rolls.

25. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, fulling rolls propellingthe cloth, feed rolls feeding the cloth relatively to the fulling rolls,a member actuated by the cloth as the fulling rolls take up the slackbetween themselves and the feed rolls, and means put in actuation by theactuation of such member causing the reversal of the fulling rolls.

26. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, fulling rolls propellingthe cloth, feed rolls feed-, ing the cloth relatively to the fullingrolls, a member having a passage through which the cloth travels in itscourse between the feed rolls and the fulling rolls, guides supportingsuch member for gravitating movement, and means reversing the directionof propulsion of the cloth by the fulling rolls and actuated by thelifting of such member by tension on the cloth passing therethrough.

27. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, opposed rolls squeezing thecloth between them, a crimp box at each side of the rolls, and meansdriving the rolls to efiect the feed of the cloth in one direction to agiven extent and then re versing the rolls to effect the feed of thecloth in the opposite direction to a diiferent extent.

28. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, opposed rolls squeezing thecloth between them, a crimp box at each side of the rolls, means drivingthe rolls to feed the cloth therethrough, means causing the rolls topropel the cloth alternately in opposite directions, and timing meansrendering unequal the duration of the driving in the respective oppositedirections.

29. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, fulling rolls propellingthe cloth, feed rolls feeding the cloth at a lesser rate than thefulling rolls, and means reversing the direction of propulsion of thecloth by the fulling rolls when the latter take up the slack betweenthemselves and the feed rolls and again reversing the direction ofpropulsion after a predetermined interval of travel of the cloth.

30. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, fulling rolls propellingthe cloth, feed rolls feeding the cloth relatively to the fulling rolls,timer means effecting the propelling of the cloth in one direction for apredetermined distance and thereafter reversing the direction of feed ofthe cloth, and means actuated by tension on the cloth setting the timermeans in action.

31. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, fulling rolls propellingthe cloth, feed rolls feeding the cloth relatively to the fulling rolls,timer means effecting the propelling of the cloth in one direction for apredetermined distance and thereafter reversing the direction of feed ofthe cloth, and feeler means responding to tension on the cloth betweenthe feed rolls and the fulling rolls by setting the timer means inaction.

32. In a cloth fulling mill, in combination, fulling rolls propellingthe cloth, feed rolls feeding the cloth relatively to the fulling rolls,timer means effecting the propelling of the cloth in one direction for apredetermined distance and thereafter reversing the direction of feed ofthe cloth, feeler means responding to tension on the cloth between thefeed rolls and the fulling rolls by setting the timer means in action,and means varying the rate of feed of the feed rolls and thusdetermining the excess of feed of the cloth in one direction over thatin the other direction.

33. A method of fulling cloth by opposed rolls feeding the cloth whichincludes the steps of feeding a predetermined length of the cloththereby in one direction and then reversing the direction of feed untilall available slack in the cloth ahead of the rolls has been taken up,and then again reversing the direction of feed for a predeterminedextent of feed, and so on in alternation.

34. A method of fulling cloth in a fulling mill by opposed rolls feedingthe cloth which includes the steps of feeding the cloth into the mill ata predetermined rate, feeding a predetermined length of the cloth in onedirection by the fulling rolls and then reversing the direction of feeduntil all available slack between the fulling rolls and the point ofentry of the cloth into the mill has been taken up, and then againreversing the direction of feed for a predetermined extent of feed, andso on.

- FRANK B. MORRILL.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Barette Dec. 25, 1888Number

